In our real-life settings, both the production and use of the learning unit would, however, have to be different to be accepted as a viable strategy. Going through all of the following steps writing a UML diagram of the learning scenario to identify the needed roles and activities
� writing down the whole IMS Learning Design in order to correctly use the variables and conditional events
� writing the IMS-LD compliant files with Reload Learning Design Editor (some of them, from scratch)
� rendering the learning scenario with the CopperCore engine
is certainly suitable for learning and testing the specification itself.1 Except for a small
number of projects, the courses would have to be designed and produced by the professors or their teaching assistants. Therefore, the
1 A method for a full evaluation benchmark of
expressiveness and suitability of IMS-LD is proposed by Caeiro-Rodriguez et al [9]. The authors designed a comprehensive methodology based on pattern recognition.
generation of IMS-LD files should be embedded into simple design tools, preferably within the VLE, in a way similar to that implemented in LAMS (Learning Activities Management System) [8].Although not based on IMS-LD, LAMS illustrates a concept that might bridge the gap in a context where teachers are the main producers of technology- enhanced courses. While the framework, tools and sequencing of the course is provided by the VLE,2 the teacher models one learning activity
after the other, dragging icons representing the tools that are needed to proceed with the activity on a design screen where instructions, resources and conditions can be added in a very natural way3. The relevant product would be an
IMS-LD compliant VLE with learning activities design functionalities. Those would provide visual and intuitive means to create sets of instructions linked to the relevant resources and tools, and be able to automate the generation of the XML files needed to redeploy the course in another compliant VLE. Specialized help could, thus, be restricted to a few highly sophisticated courses and the specification be adopted on a large scale.
Conclusion
At the University of Lausanne, the production of technology-enhanced courses is done mainly by the teachers themselves. Therefore, the issues of sustainability and interoperability of the learning scenarios, although fully appreciated by the eLearning support staff, must be kept behind the scenes. Regular teaching staff members would very easily be discouraged by additional technical constraints imposed upon their work. In such an institutional context, the modeling of the Online Course in Information Theory according to the IMS Learning Design specification served two major objectives. The first was to test the adequacy of the specification to describe real- life courses that were not designed on purpose, and the second was to identify the conditions needed for the adoption of the specification to
2 Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai and WebCT in a near future. 3 For a technical discussion of LAMS and IMS-LD, see the
ensure the portability of the online courses on a large scale.
The result of the experiment is promising, but it also clearly shows that the natural integration of the specification with actual practice is not yet at hand. Surely enough, IMS- LD proved adequate to successfully model the 28 weeks of learning activities and all the related tools and interactions. The complete process required a three-person team composed of a professor, a learning engineer, and a skilled computer staff member willing to dig into the specification, who produced the level B- compliant XML file using the Reload Learning Design Editor. The resulting learning unit can be run using a rendering engine such as CopperCore, with each role correctly performing the intended actions with the adequate tools.
However, although IMS-LD seems to provide a potential solution to a problem encountered by many Higher Education institutions, its practical use is hampered by a much too complex flow of production. The UML modeling and the translation of the activity diagram into the IMS-LD concepts of activities, activity-structures, and proprieties are out of reach of the typical staff in an educational context. Unless both the visual modeling of the learning activities and the generation of the compliant XML files can be integrated into the usual pedagogical design practice of the teachers, the large-scale use of the specification will remain an unviable option in our institution.
While assumedly a technical and commercial challenge, the missing integrating product can easily be described: an IMS-LD compliant Learning Management System that would provide the course framework and set of tools, equipped with a LAMS-like visual learning activities design tool which would allow the teacher to sequence simply activities and type in instructions and resources references. In addition, the VLE would be able to generate a proper IMS-LD file with all of the necessary resources and proprieties, ready for importation into any other compliant VLE. A natural and intuitive production process could then be implemented, ensuring that teachers’ work and creativity are not at risk of being lost.
References
[1] Schlusmans, K., R. Koper, et al. (2004): Work processes for the development of integrated e- learning courses. Integrated e-Learning: Implications for Pedagogy, technology and Organisation. In W. Jochems, J. v. Merriënboer and R. Koper. London and New York, RoutledgeFalmer: pp. 126-138.
[2] IMS-LD-IM (2003): IMS Learning Design In- formation Model. Version 1.0 Final Specification, revision 20. IMS Global Consortium.
[3] Koper, R., & Tattersall, C. (2005): Learning Design: A Handbook on Modelling and Delivering Networked Education and Training. Springer, Heidelberg, The Netherlands.
[4] IMS (2003): IMS Learning Design Best Practice and Implementation Guide. Version 1.0 Final Specification IMS Global Consortium: pp. 20ss.
[5] Mot and MotPlus are available at :
http://www.licef.teluq.uquebec.ca/eng/index.ht m.
[6] The Reload Learning Design Editor is available at:
http://www.reload.ac.uk/ldeditor.html. [7] The CopperCore engine is available at:
http://coppercore.sourceforge.net/.
[8] Dalziel, J. (2003): Implementing Learning Design: The Learning Activity Management System (LAMS). LAMS is available at: http://www.lamsinternational.com/index.html. [9] Manuel Caeiro-Rodríguez, Martín Llamas-
Nistal and Luis Anido-Rifón (2005): Towards a Benchmark for the Evaluation of LD Expressiveness and Suitability. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2005/04. [10] Anders Berggren, Daniel Burgos, Josep M.
Fontana, Don Hinkelman, Vu Hung, Anthony Hursh and Ger Tielemans (2005): Practical and Pedagogical Issues for Teacher Adoption of IMS Learning Design Standards in Moodle LMS. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2005/02.